Korean J Dermatol.
2009 Oct;47(10):1166-1171.
A Case of Dyschromatosis Universalis Hereditaria Treated with a Q-switched Nd:YAG Laser
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Dermatology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. shlee@schbc.ac.kr
Abstract
- Dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria is a rare pigmentary disorder that's characterized by the presence of both small and irregular sized hyperpigmented and hypopigmented macules in a generalized distribution. The pattern of inheritance is thought to be autosomal dominant, but some sporadic and autosomal recessive inheritance cases have also been reported. We report here on a case of a-15-year old female patient with dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria, which is compatible with autosomal dominant inheritance. The patient presented with numerous small and irregularly sized hyper-and hypopigmented macules on her face, trunk and both the arms and legs, but not on the palms and soles. By analysis of her familial pedigree, we found an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance. The biopsy specimen taken from the hyperpigmented macules showed increased melanin granules and pigmentation in the basal cell layer of the epidermis. Various therapeutic trials have been introduced to treat these lesions, but there have been few reports of simple effective treatments for the hyper-and hypopigmented lesions. So, we tried treating the hyperpigmented macules with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and we obtained a successful result.
